Everything is better with pickles... except Windows
- ID
- 13785
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 13 Aug 2026, 5:26 PM
- Fetched
- 13 Aug 2026, 6:24 PM
- Provider
- The Register
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/08/13/everything-is-better-with-pickles-except-windows/5284978
- Source URL
- https://www.theregister.com/headlines.atom
Summary
- Score
- 2.0
- Created
- 13 Aug 2026, 6:25 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developers
What happened
A Wendy's digital menu board in Vancouver displayed a Windows Phone Link (PhoneExperienceHost.exe) error instead of its pickle chicken sandwich ad, likely due to a stack memory issue. The Register's offbeat column notes the irony of a consumer-facing display running Windows with Phone Link enabled at all.
Why it matters
Mildly amusing reminder that if you ship Windows-based kiosks or digital signage, disable unnecessary services like Phone Link; otherwise your brand's ad spend becomes free advertising for Microsoft error dialogs. Not actionable for most builders.
Discussion angle
Quick laugh segment: what's the worst production error screen you've seen on public-facing hardware, and what service should not have been running on it?